Things Change
by ConstantlyXChanging
Summary: Saying goodbye has never been this hard. KishIchigo Disclaimer: I don't own TMM, or the song, 'Come to my Window'


_Come to my window  
Crawl inside, _

_Wait by the light,_

_Of the moon  
Come to my window  
I'll be home soon_

The red-haired teen looked to they sky, as if the luminescent glow of the moon would somehow give her the answers she wanted.

The waning crescent's soft light reached out and wrapped around her, as if trying to offer comfort.

The young woman sighed, and couldn't help but wish it was a certain green-haired alien that would wrap her up and hold her close to his chest and ask what was wrong, not the cold arms of the moon around her.

_I would dial the numbers  
Just to listen to your breath  
I would stand inside my hell  
And hold the hand of death  
You don't know how far I'd go  
To ease this precious ache  
You don't know how much I'd give  
Or how much I can take  
_

Ichigo briefly wondered if they had phones on his home planet, but quickly shook it off. What was she thinking? He probably wouldn't talk to her anyway, if the manner in which they had last parted ways had anything to do about it.

And she had the sneaking suspicion that it would.

_Just to reach you  
Just to reach you  
Just to reach you_

_Kisshu…._

His name rolled across her mind before she could stop it, and she could feel her eyes well-up with tears, despite her best efforts.

"Koneko-chan?"

She whirled so fast that only her wildcat genes kept her from falling backwards.

Scanning the area of ground around her and seeing nothing, she immediately tilted her head back to check the skies, out of pure habit.

Nothing.

Her golden-eyed stalker was nowhere to be seen. On the ground or otherwise.

_Come to my window  
Crawl inside, wait by the light  
of the moon  
Come to my window  
I'll be home soon  
_  
Stifling a sob that threatened to tear from her throat, she instead let the tears leak out of the corners of her chocolate eyes silently, paying no head to the icy raindrops that fell on her upturned face.

Getting herself moderately under control, she continued the walk back to her parent's house.

_Keeping my eyes open  
I cannot afford to sleep  
Giving away promises  
I know that I can't keep  
Nothing fills the blackness  
That has seeped into my chest  
I need you in my blood  
I am forsaking all the rest  
Just to reach you  
Just to reach you  
Oh to reach you  
_

Later, as the fifteen year old stared blankly at the ceiling of her bedroom, she wondered if it would ever end. If the crippling heart-ache would ever cease, and let her get on with her life.

Ichigo seriously doubted it.

Glancing at the clock she sighed again. _'Nearly midnight.'_

The young heroine had come to dread the beginning of the next day, when the knowledge that another day had come and gone.

And still nothing.

Ichigo could feel that hole start to yawn open in her chest, and braced herself for what she knew was coming, pulling her knees up to her pajama-clad chest, and wrapping her arms as tightly around them as she could.

Waiting for the inevitable.

_  
Come to my window  
Crawl inside, wait by the light  
of the moon  
Come to my window  
I'll be home soon_

Though it happened every night since the end of their battle, with what were once their enemies, she was never quite ready for the sudden ripping sensation that spread quickly through her chest. Expanding in size as it went.

The neko-girl gasped slightly as she felt the pain roar in the pit of her stomach. She felt her ears slide up, closer to the top of her head, and press flat against her skull, as if trying to distract her from the all-consuming torture.

It was no use. Ichigo had tried everything to keep away the pain, but knew it would return until her guilty conscience rectified itself. Something she knew would never happen, for the object of the emotion was currently god-knows where, and wouldn't be coming back anytime soon.

She deserved it. She deserved it after the way she had rejected him; for the grimace of pain that had twisted his face when she had chosen Masaya, for the abuse she had subjected him to, and most horrifying of all; for the knowledge that he forgave her.

Ichigo had seen it on his face, out of the corner of her eye when she had been in the middle of the hugging/yelling fest after the defeat of Deep Blue; had read it in Kish's shining amber orbs when he had caught her gaze for a split second, when he had smiled ruefully, and then abruptly vanished from her life.

Probably forever. __

I don't care what they think  
I don't care what they say  
What do they know about this  
love anyway  


Personally, she still couldn't believe that her friends still put up with her after the mess she had been in the last few months. Really couldn't believe that Shirogane let her work at the café at all, in spite of the numerous threats to fire her.

Ichigo wasn't sure if she was grateful of their support, and determination to pull her through, or if she was just selfish. Selfish enough that she didn't want to suffer alone, and seemed, in her mind, bent on dragging them under with her.

Even Pudding hadn't broken anything in over two weeks; something she would have considered impossible if she hadn't had to wash all of the dishes that the acrobat couldn't bring herself to twirl on the ends of poles anymore.

Guilt gnawed at her in the wake of the crippling tsunami of pain, as if placed there to keep the hole open enough so that it could get through again, to make sure she didn't get complacent.

She snorted at the absurdity of the thought. _'Yeah, like _that's_ gonna happen.' _

The worst of it? Everyone knew why she was in this condition, even Ryou-Heck, even Masaya knew. But he didn't seem to mind, as long as they could bring her out of it.

He didn't care _why _she was hurting, just as long as she would be back to her perky, happy-go-lucky self, so that she could keep going out with him.

Which was one of the reasons she had broken it off with him.

No one was happy about the reason for her manic-depressiveness, and told her so, hoping that pointing out Kish's faults would help her see past her own.

Needless to say, it wasn't working.

The teenager would only forgive herself, if she could apologize to him, face-to-face.

It was selfish yes, but she hoped Kish would forgive her for that part too. She wasn't used to the rush of emotions associated with being in love. That was the only reason for it, she had concluded.

She, Ichigo, was in love with, no not St. Masaya, but the devious alien Kisshu.

Love is ironic, isn't it?

_  
Come to my window  
Crawl inside, wait by the light  
of the moon  
Come to my window  
I'll be home soon_

Sliding her empty eyes shut, her black cat-ears drooping with exhaustion, the young woman prayed for the peaceful blackness of sleep, even knowing the nightmares it would carry with it. She was just so tired.

She figured she had left the window open when she felt cool air wash over her, bringing the sweet smell of newly drenched grass to her, even underneath her frilly comforter.

She changed her mind, deciding she was dreaming instead, when she felt deceptively chilly arms wrap around her waist, and pull her to curl her spine into the niche of warmth that radiated from his chest.

Smiling to herself, Ichigo twisted so that she could wrap her arms around his front, snuggling into the façade of, what she thought to be, her dream, glad of the reprieve from the haunting nightmares.

"Kish," she muttered contentedly into his half-shirt, reaching up to kiss him full on the lips without opening her eyes. Pulling back after a second, she admitted, "I love you."

"I love you too koneko-chan."

She had never realized how good her imagination was until she heard those words. It had even got the slight shock that would have been in his voice right. She smiled.

"I know."

"Sleep kitten. You sound drop-dead tired." He soothed, running one pale hand through her strawberry hair.

"Wait!" She remembered what she had wanted to say to him for so long. Fighting to keep her head above the increasing waves of sleep washing over her, she mumbled faintly, "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Satisfied her message had been delivered, even if it was fictional, she slipped into fitful unconsciousness.

Sitting in the semi-darkness with his kitten curled around him, he thanked every God he could think of that he had been allowed to come back. He could happily die right now, thanks to this girl.

"I know kitten. I'm sorry too," Kish whispered knowing she was already asleep. "I'll be here when you wake up. I promise." With this, he settled into a long night of waiting for the girl to wake up, and see that he wasn't just an apparition.

He was back, and he was not planning on leaving. He smirked. She couldn't get rid of him that easily.

_Come to my window  
Crawl inside, wait by the light  
of the moon  
Come to my window  
I'll be home soon_

_I'll be home soon_


End file.
